Marianne Dashwood can’t understand her sister.

How could the attractive, witty, and charming Elinor fall for the quiet, self-effacing, and rather dull Edward Ferrars? And, if the two are in love, why don’t they shout it to the world? Meanwhile, Elinor worries that Marianne’s heart-first approach to life will hurt her, especially when it comes to the dashing John Willoughby.

The two sisters spar good-naturedly over the merits of full-blown emotionalism versus reticence and self-discipline in matters of the heart. Fond as they are of each other, each is certain that hers is the only true path to love. Meanwhile, both Edward and Willoughby harbor secrets that will force these women to doubt their philosophies, their judgment, and their chances for happiness.

With Sense and Sensibility, her first published novel, Austen served notice that a new and important author had arrived — one whose style, wit, and piercing sense of satire supported a compelling story peopled with finely drawn characters and punctuated with remarkable insights into the human condition...